About Me
Hey, I’m Alex Holodak, currently serving as DevOps Director at Polyarc Games and Founder of Holodak LLC, an IT consulting firm based in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.
At Polyarc Games in Seattle, WA — the studio behind Moss and Moss: Book II (winner of The Game Awards 2022 for Best VR/AR Game) — I lead our build management processes and developer operations, supporting a high-performing team of game developers with scalable, automated infrastructure.
Previously, I was Chief Technology Officer at DGDean, a full-service technology and digital project management firm supporting fast-growing startups. I oversaw DevOps, security, cloud architecture, and compliance (HIPAA, PCI), and contributed to product development initiatives across AI, analytics, and multi-channel platforms. As an AWS Partner and long-time technology collaborator with Loeb NYC, DGDean became the technology backbone for numerous successful ventures across industries.
Before that, I served as Global Digital Manager at the NeuroLeadership Institute, managing digital infrastructure across North America and Europe and launching NLI’s flagship website in 2014. Earlier roles include:
Paralegal Assistant in the Patent Group at Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, WA
Legal Assistant in estate planning at Patel Law Offices, Iselin, NJ
Lead Technician & Consultant at SW Unlimited, helping veterans through assistive technologies in partnership with the Veterans Administration
I earned my B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Sociology from Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit since I was 17, when I launched PC Authority LLC, a computer repair shop.
My commitment to civic engagement began early too — I ran for a seat on the Old Bridge Township Board of Education at age 18 and later joined Katrina relief efforts in New Orleans through NJPIRG and AmeriCorps in 2007.
Certifications & Technical Skills
AWS Certified Solutions Architect & Cloud Practitioner
Expert in: DevOps, cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, GCP), Linux & Windows systems, Mac OS X, network architecture, and CI/CD
Proficient with: Adobe CC, MS Office, NetSuite, Atlassian, QuickBooks, WordPress, Drupal, MySQL, HTML5/CSS/PHP
Type speed: ~85 WPM
I also have professional experience in patent procurement, litigation support, estates, tax law, and guardianship.
Currently, I live in Scotch Plains, NJ, with my wife Amy and our two kids, Jack and Avery.
Personal Information
- Full Name
- Alexander Holodak
- D.O.B
- July 5
- Hometown
- Old Bridge, NJ
- Lives In
- Scotch Plains, NJ
- aholodak@gmail.com
Skills
- Business Owner & Entrepreneur
- 2019 AWS Certified Solutions Architect & Cloud Practicioner
- Windows & Linux Server Administration
- Computer Repair
- CMS Web Designer
- Patent & Tax Paralegal Experience
Work Experience
Polyarc
- Unreal Engine 5 build processes: BuildGraph & Unreal Game Sync
- Maintains CI/CD pipleine: AWS / Azure, TeamCity, Octopus Deploy, PlayFab, Steam / Oculus / Playstation
- Maintains Perforce Helix Core and Helix Swarm servers
DGDean
• Managed over 300 servers on AWS and Azure for a wide range of clients across multiple industries
• Performed as the Lead Cloud Engineer / SRE for Beeby Clark + Meyler (Energizer Product Holdings), SingleCare, ScriptRelief, EverTransit, 3×3 Insights, ACE ComicCon, SingleComm, NKBA, MobiSave, and more.
• Supported web & mobile application DevOps needs, build tools, and cloud infrastructure
• Maintained compliance of PCI or HIPAA across applicable client cloud environments
• Lead complete migrations of established companies to the Cloud with no down-time
• Modernized web application workloads for cloud auto-scaling, fault tolerance, and security best practices
• Managed Cloud spend regularly, utilizing AWS Savings Plans & Reserved Instances to reduce costs by 30%
• Directed incubator’s 24 x 7 offshore Network Operations Center before implementing PagerDuty for alert automation
• Operated Windows Server, Ubuntu Linux, AWS EC2, Cloudfront, RDS, S3, Elasticache, Elasticsearch Service, EC2 Container Services, Cloudformation, Cloudwatch, WAF, EFS, DataSync, Atlassian JIRA, Confluence, Jenkins, Bamboo, Octopus Deploy, Tableau Server, SQL Server, Aurora MySQL, WordPress, Drupal, Sitefinity, DataDog, and more.
• 2019 AWS Certified: Solutions Architect (Associate) and Cloud Practitioner
EverTransit
- Oversaw and managed Microsoft Azure and AWS workloads for EverTransit, a mobile transportation, technology and data management platform.
- Took over project from prior team and implemented server upgrades and improved CI/CD process.
- Maintained 99.99% uptime SLA
NeuroLeadership Institute
- Built and launched new company website and digital product demonstration portal
- Train staff on company’s technology platforms globally
- Provide both internal & client-facing technical support for Mac & Windows, Atlassian Confluence, NetSuite CRM, WordPress, Adobe Connect, WebEx, and audio/video production in North America and Europe
Ashford & Grace Fine Jewelers
Director, IT & Business Development (Colts Neck, NJ)- Researched potential businesses for venture capital investment
- Collaborated with a team to launch 3 new retail locations, doubling the business’s reach
- Analyzed financial, customer, and employee performance data for weekly reports
- Installed, managed, and maintained computers and network systems across all locations
- Managed company websites and social network outreach to attract customers
Perkins Coie
- Reviewed patent office correspondence, prepared response documents, and collaborated with attorney, paralegal, and client to meet deadlines.
- Researched and compiled data which aided attorneys’ in supporting our clients patent decisions and strategy.
- Developed and regularly presented internal technology seminars and demonstrations of software tools to associates, paralegals, and secretaries throughout Perkins Coie offices nationally.
- Conducted training of paralegals in the area of technology and paralegal assistants in both technology and the patent procurement process.
- Worked with system administrators to implement software packages specific to the patent group.
- Accounts included some of the most prominent technology firms in the world.
SW Unlimited
- Onsite IT consulting for the Veterans Administration in the Central NJ.
- In home presentation, setup, and training for visually impaired veterans with Freedom Scientific products that give greater independence.
- Configuration of JAWS, OpenBook, and Magic screen reading software.
- Windows system deployment, recovery, and virus/spyware removal
Parag Patel Law Firm
- Research and application of NJ Estate laws; tax document preparation
- Appraisal coordination with clients for estate purposes
- Application of forensic accounting practices for accurate informal accountings
- Networking office printers, VoIP phones, file servers, and workstations, providing quick and cost-effective improvements to daily office operations.
- Migration and implementation of MailStreet’s Microsoft Exchange service for attorneys, minimizing difficulty accessing e-mail in the office and on the go
Rutgers University – Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
- Deployment of 120 Dell workstations for a university computer lab
- Configured and remotely imaged machine operating systems with Symantec Ghost according to standard University policies
- Successfully launched a new work center for graduate students in a small team under tight time and budget constraints
Community Service Society of New York
- Performed various helpdesk support tasks (computer repair, antivirus, network troubleshooting) in a non-profit, 140 person office environment
- Assisted in Blackberry migration and employee training
- Provided data-related technical support for a New York State voter registration initiative
PC Authority
Founder & Technician (Aberdeen, NJ)- Managed the business and worked with customers in a retail environment
- Handled all bookkeeping, purchase orders, invoices, inventory, and tax preparation (QuickBooks)
- Primary hardware and software technician.
- Repaired computers with fast turnaround time
Education
References
“I am writing this recommendation for Alex Holodak for several reasons, but first and foremost because he will be an asset to any company that he decides to join. I worked with Alex at a start up technology company that dealt with complete corporate infrastructure provisioning through AWS. Alex functioned as the focal point for all the infrastructure build requirements, provisioning and project management. His technical skill set focused on AWS infrastructure, management and problem solving, however by no means was limited to that specialization. He picked up new technologies and programming languages quickly and could coordinate applying that knowledge to achieving results in a fast paced and demanding environment.
Alex’s technical acumen is top notch, however I was more impressed with his leadership skills. He combines end to end accountability for results, fantastic people skills, masterful facilitation and political savvy to lead any team to their fullest potential.
I would highly recommend Alex to any company or business in need for a highly technical leader who understands business.”
“Alex was a valuable asset to me in his position as Paralegal Assistant. He is a hard worker who focuses not only on the task at hand, but also on the larger picture. He frequently would find faster, more efficient, and more accurate ways of performing various tasks. He knew when to ask questions and when to proceed on his own. On top of being so helpful, Alex was also a pleasure to work with and has become a good friend. I highly recommend him.”
“Alex is bright, energetic and extremely hard-working. He would be a valuable asset in any capacity.”
“Alex is an outstanding individual and a total professional. I have worked closely with Alex on various projects and he consistently excels in areas of resourcefulness, ingenuity, effective communication and especially; getting the job done. Alex is a very strong tangible asset that will immediately contribute to the bottom line. I strongly support and recommend Alex.”
“Alex is detail-oriented and competent. He sees the big picture.”